Whether you drive or take a bus in Jacksonville, state and local transportation officials want you to be prepared for the changes ahead.The Jacksonville Transportation Authority held its final public hearing Tuesday on the proposed update of it's fare structure for seniors and disabled riders.
JTA spokesperson Leigh Ann Ressler says that anyone who turns 60 before Jan. 1 and who has applied for a Senior STAR card will still be able to ride for free.
“But if they do not turn 60-years-old till the next calendar year or thereafter, they have to wait until they’re 65," Ressler said. "And we’re just trying to closely align our structure with industry standards.”
Also starting next year, disabled passengers who use JTA’s Connexion service will be able to ride the regular buses for free.
Traffic will be getting messier on I-10 at Marietta as the Florida Department of Transportation ramps up work on a new interchange at Hammond Boulevard.
In an effort to try and minimize the shock and confusion, DOT officials will hold a special open house Thursday night to let the public know what’s going on with the $19 million project.
DOT spokesperson Ron Tittle says traffic congestion along that stretch of I-10 is going to get worse before it gets better.
“You’ll see a lot of construction, particularly over near where Trinity Baptist Church is, all in and around that area. But pretty soon there’s going to be opening up there and they’re going to have some of the construction on I-10 that’s going to potentially impact traffic, so we wanted to get folks prepared for that,” Tittle said.
Thursday night’s open house will be at the Julian Barrs Community Center on Crystal Springs Road from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Work on the new Hammond Boulevard interchange is expected to wrap up in the spring of 2016.
You can follow Cyd Hoskinson on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
